Automatic releasing device for safety-trolleys.



No. 7|3,828. Patntd Nov. I8, |902.

A. C. WDLFE.

AUTOMATIC RELEASING DEVICE F08 SAFETY TRLLEYS.

(Application filed Feb. 6, 1902.)

(No Model.) 2 sham-sheet' i.

I l F1612 K 0 a 0 0 o o 0 0 c 0 u o @4 vvvvvvvvmww@ WITALL=55E5-` a i D INVENTOR.

@g l BY la/wl MMM ATTORNEK No. 7l3,828. Ptented NOV. I8. |902. A. C. WOLFE. 1

AUTOMATIC RELEASING DEVICE FOR SAFETYA TR'ULLEYS.

(Application med Feb. e, X902.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

WTNESSES l `[N VEN MMM Bymm` iff/5,6m @60a ATTORNEK 7 orion.

lliviinn rares armar ANDREV C. VOLFE, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO ULBUR L. BARNES, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

AUTOMATIC RELEASlNG DEVICE FOR SAFETY-TROLLEYS.

SPECIFECATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 713,828, dated November 18, 1902'.

Application filed February 6, 1902. Serial No. 92,940. (No model.)

To all whom it' may concern: cal shaft. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the trol- Be it known that I, ANDREW C. VOLFE, a ley-base shown in Fig. l, the swivel-post and citizen of the United States, residing in the fork, also the limit-stop, being shown in seccity of Denver, county of Arapahoe, and State tion at line X X ol' Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a longi- 55 5 of Colorado, (and whose post-office address is tudinal sectional elevation of the disengag- No. 622 Eighteenth avenue,) have invented ing mechanism on an enlarged scale and prinanew and usefnlAutomatic Releasing Device cipally as seen at line Z Z of Fig. Il and lookforSafety-Trolleys, of which the followingisa ing up therein. A portion of the inclosing specication. member is broken away to show the right- 6o 1o This invention relates to safety-trolleys hand portion of the rack or disengaging-rod.

or trolleys in which the trolley-pole after leav- Fig. l is a plan view of the disengaging meching the wire and momentarily rising above anism shown in Fig. 3 with the cap and other the wire thereby releases itself and falls to a upper parts removed. A major portion of position too low to strike the cross-wires, and the large governor-gear is broken away to 65 x5 it consists chiefly in an automatic releasing more clearly show the ratchet, pawl, and rack device for the support for the sustainingbeneath, and a portion of the ratchet and springs and also of minor devices associated shaft is broken away to show the pinion betherewith. neath. ln Figs. 3 and lla portion ofthe sleeve Among the objects of this invention are, is represented as broken away, it being too `7c 2o first, to provide a releasing device for safetylong to be fully shown in these views. Fig.

trolleybasesin which mechanical means shall 5 is a plan view of the spring-pawl. The lowcause the disengaging or releasing of the movered position of the pole and corresponding able spring-support when the trolley-pole rises position of the fork are shown by dotted lines rapidly, as when it leaves the wire; second, to in Fig. l. 75 25 provide a releasing means which shall canse Similar characters designate like parts in the release of the sustaining mechanism when the several views. Vthe pole rises faster than a predetermined The trolley-board and roof of an electric rate and at the same rate Whether the pole be car are represented in Fig. l by A and A', rerunning at medium height or near its highest spectively. To A is secured in any ordinary 8o 3o or lowest running positions; third, to provide manner a swivel-plate A2 for the support of an easy and convenient means of returning the the trolley-base proper. The head or swivelsustaining-spring support and trolley-pole to post B is revolubly mounted on the plate A2 their upper or normal running positions after in any desirable manner, as by means of the the car has been stopped to replace the pole hollow stud B' being fitted into a hole in the 85 35 under the wire. One particular use for such center of A2 and screwed up to a shoulder or a trolley-releasing device is where the cars otherwise secured in B. The joint between pass under an overhead structure, as a bridge A2 and B is preferably provided with a ballor-elevated railway, the object being to aubearing, as represented, to sustain the weight tomatically lower the pole from a position in of the imposed trolley-base and make the 9o 4o which it would endanger the cross-wires or same very free to turn. A dust-excluding the pole whether it was at the time of leavflange B2 surrounds the ball-bearing to aid ing the wire running high or low. in keeping the same clean.

The above objects are accomplished by The trolley-pole supportis pivotally mountmeans of the mechanism illustrated in the aced upon the upper portion of B and may be 95 45 companying drawings, in whichof any desired form, as the fork C shown, Figure lis a central longitudinal sectional which is fitted to tip Vfreely upon the pin C. elevation ot' a trolley-base having the im- The ordinary hollow trolley-pole C2 is secured proved releasing and returning devices incorin the upper end of the fork in the usual manporated in it. The position of a small elecner, the top part being broken away in Fig. roo 5o t-ric motor for the return of the parts is shown l. rlhe lower ends of the fork O3 are each in outline upon the bottom part of the vertiprovided with a horizontal stud O4, in which are screwed the adjustable eyebolts C5, into which are hooked the sustaining-springs D. The support for the opposite ends of springs D will be described later.

The swivel-post B is provided with a rearward extension B3, the extreme rear end being turned upward and bifurcated. In the bifurcated portion B4 is pivotally mounted a retaining-hook E on the pin E. Slidably mou'nted in suitable guide-holes in B and B3 is a spring-support carrying rod F, a vertical toothed rack being cut in the side of the front portion of the rod for a purpose to be later described. Back of the middle of rod F is X- edly secured upon it a cross-piece F', the end portions of which are provided with annular grooves and have hooked upon them the rear ends of the sustaining-springs D, and the rod F is moved backward to tighten the tension of the springs and tend to raise the pole C'2 and is moved or allowed to move forward under the tension of the springs D to the lower the pole. The upper forward edge of cross-piece F is provided with a face for engagement with the retaining-hook E, b y means of which the springs D are held in their operative or sustaining position.

A projection of the hook E extends downward at the rear, and a compression-spring E2 tends thereby to force the hook into engagementwith the cross-piece F. A set-collar F2 is located as desired upon the central portion of rod F, and an adjoining elastic washer F3, preferably of rubber, encircles the rod, and upon the disengagement of hook E this strikes against a boss on B and cushions the blow, which is delivered by the force of the springs D. An elastic washer F4 is preferably placed between the cross-piece F and the rising portion of the extension BB to cushion and make less noisy the rearward or retractive movement of rod F.

A vertical arm E3 of the hook E has pivoted to it a sleeve G, which forms one of the principal parts of the releasing device, and the upper extremity of this arm is preferably provided with a block of rubber E1 to act as a stop for the downward movement of the trolley-pole C2. A bent spring B4 is secured to the rear side of B and takes the chief part of the blow from the descent of the pole C2, though this blow is usually very light, owing to the fact that the movement of the springsupport F' when'released is limited, so as to cause the springs D to nearly sustain the pole, and the angle maintained by the springs and fork are such that the pole is raised with approximately the same force when high, low, orin a mid-position. As the springs are more extended, and therefore stiffer, the angle at which they pull is more acute, and hence they are less effective. The greater proportion of the weight of the pole to be lifted when low is taken into consideration in calculating the angle.

Passing vertically through the center of the hollow stud B is a small shaft having a pinion formed at its top end, and this shaft H is for the return or retraction of the spring-support F and F', the pinion H being in engagement with the rack formed in rod F, as is shown in Fig. 2. The hollow stud B is provided with a flange J, which is secured thereto in any desirable manner, and the purpose of the flange is to support a small electric motor for operating the shaft H. The position of such a motor is shown in outline in Fig. l and is intended to be operated by a storage battery, (not shown,) which is automatically charged from the electric Wires of the car in the usual manner. Upon the trolleypole leaving the wire and subsequently being disengaged and lowered the car is brought to a stop, whereupon the motorneer or conductor of the car throws a switch, (notshown,) which admitscurrent from the storage battery to the motor attached to plate or iiange J, the motor moves the rod F with F toward the rear, and they are secured in their normal position by the hook E. A flange J surrounds the opening through the roof A of the car for the exclusion of rain, snow, dac.

The releasing device proper consists in a novel form of connection between the trolleyfork and the hook or its equivalent, which holds the spring-support in its normal operative position.

The principal parts of the releasing device are a sleeve member G, a push-rod member K, provided with a rack and with a series of ratchetteeth and mounted to slide freely within the sleeve G, a pawl member L, se-A cured to the sleeve G and capable of being moved into and out of engagement with the ratchet-teeth of rod K, a governor mounted on the sleeve G and driven by gearing in engagement with the rack of the rod K, and a spring opposing the action of the governor and tending to withdraw the pawl from engagement with the ratchet-teeth of rod K. The governor will be designated in a' general way by M, and the spring is incorporated with the pawl L, the intermediate portion being formed thin and tempered as a spring.

As previously stated, the sleeve G is pivoted to the vertical arm of the hook E, and the mating rod K is pivotally secured to an extension C6 of the lower portion of the fork C3. Consequently there will be relative movement between the rod K and sleeve G whenever the trolley-pole C2 rises or lowers, provided the hook E remains stationary and in engagement with support F. This relative movement, when in the direction of the movement of the rod K into the sleeve G, is made to turn the governor, and when the revolution of the governor is at a sufficiently* rapid rate the governor M is made to raise the pawl L into engagement with the ratchet-teeth of rod K, and a continuation of the upward movement of the pole C2 therefore raises the hook E,'releasing the sustaining-springs D IOO and allowing the pole to drop until arrested by the tightening of the springs D and the sustaining force of the spring B4.

The front end of the sleeve G is enlarged into a plate portion G', which is a support for the governor M, and a cap G2 is secured upon G in any desired manner, as by screws.

I'Iaving bearings in the plate G' and cap G2 is a short pinion-shaft N, its position being such that the pinion will be in engagement with the rack formed in the side of the square rod K. Fixedly secured upon shaft N above the pinion is a ratchet-wheel P, and above the ratchet-wheel is a gear Q, which is freely revolnble about the shaft N. This gear Q is provided with one or more pawls O of the wellknown form for engaging with the ratchetwheel P, the said pawls being provided with the usual spring for causing their engagement with the ratchet-wheel. The direction of the ratchet-teeth of wheel P is such that the gear Q will be forced to rotate when the rod K is moved into the sleeve G, but may not necessarily rotate when it is moved out of the sleeve. Also revolubly mounted in the plate Gl and cap G2 is a vertical governor-shaft R, which has a pinion portion R', which is in engagement with the gear Q. The lower end of shaft R is provided with a shoulder and a nut, and between these is inclosed a wing portion L of the pawl L, and by means of which the free end of the pawl is raised by and with the shaft R. Surrounding the upper end of shaft R is a disk S, which is revolubly mounted in a suitable bearing in cap G2 and is made to turn with shaft R by means of a pin R2, which extends at its ends into suit-able slotsin raised portions S at the sides of the disk S. The shaft R and pin R2 are free to slide np and down a short distance in the disk S. Pivotally mounted in the disk S are two opposite governor-arms T, having the usual balls or weights at their free ends, and horizontal arms '1" are in engagement with suitable notches in the sides of shaft R, by means of which the shaft R is raised when the governor-balls are impelled outward or separated, as by centrifugal force. The pawl L as a spring is adjusted by means of the screws L2 to resist the centrifugal action of the governor-balls untilthey revolve at the desired speed, when the force of the spring is overcome, and the teeth L3 of the pawl are then raised into engagement with the ratchet-teeth of the rod K. A spring of any desired form or connection may be substituted for the spring portion of the pawl L to resist the governor action and withdraw the pawl from engagement with the ratchet-teeth of rod K. The automatic disengaging device, therefore, is inoperative at low relative movements between the rod K and sleeve G; but with high or rapid relative movements between K and G or of K in G the pawl L is made to lock them together, as far as the inward movement of K is concerned, whereupon this disengaging device becomes operative.

Any suitable means of returning the springsupport F and rod F may be used, but the one shown saves the necessity of material eX- ertion and is quick. It is also such a form as is not interfered with by the turning of the trolley-base on the car.

The releasing device is capable of operation with any trolley-base wherein spring tension 'is reduced to lower the pole out of danger.

The centrifugal action of the governor may be opposed by a spring of any desired form, or by the mere gravity of the vertically-moving parts, if so preferred, or the pawl L and the spring to control the same may be separate members, as may seem desirable.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, the following:

l. In a safety-trolley-disengaging device, the combination with a sleeve member, of a push-rod slidable in said sleeve member aseries of ratchet-notches on said push-rod; a pawl on said sleeve member adapted to engage said ratchet-notches; a rack upon said push-rod; a governor in operative engagement with said pawl; and gearing for actuating said governor, in operative engagement with said rack.

2. In a safety-trolley-disengaging device, the combination with a sleeve member, of a push-rod slidable in said sleeve member a series of ratchet-notches on said push-rod; a pawl on said sleeve member adapted to engage said ratchet-notches; a rack upon said push-rod; a pinion revolubly mounted in said sleeve member and engaging said rack; a governor in operative engagement with said pawl; and ratchet-driven gearing between said pinion and said governor, for operating the governor and pawl from a movement of the push-rod in one direction only.

3. In a safety-trolley-disengaging device, the combination with relatively movable sleeve and rod members, of a governor carried by one of said members; driving means for said governor comprising a pinion in engagement with a rack upon the other of said members; ratchet and gear connections between said pinion and said governor; and a pawl in operative connection with said governor, in position and adapted to stop the sliding of the rod into the sleeve when the governor is revolved up to operative speed.

4. In a safety-trolley-disengaging device, the combination with a sleeve and a rod slidably mounted therein, of a series oi' ratchetteeth and a rack upon said rod; a pinion-shaft and a governor-shaft revolubly mounted in said sleeve; ratchet-gearing from said pinionshaft to said governor-shaft; a disk revolubly mounted in a cap of the said sleeve and concentric with said governor-shaft; a pin through the said governor-shaft in engagement with slots in the said disk, whereby the disk is rotated by the governor-shaft and the governor-shaft is slidable in the disk; gov- IOO IIO

ernor-levers pivotally mounted in said disk and having arms in engagement with notches in said governor-shaft; and a spring-pawl in operative engagement with said governorshaft, whereby the pawl will be made to engage the ratchet-notches of the rod when the rod is pushed rapidly into the sleeve.

5. In a safety-trolley base, the combination with a pivoted pole-support, of a sliding spring-support; a retaining-hook for said spring-support; sustaining-springs connectingsaid pole-support and said spring-support; and a disengaging means for said retaininghook, embodying a geared centrifugal governor.

6. In a safety-trolley base, the combination with a pivoted pole -support, of a sliding spring-support; sustaining-springs connecting said supports; a retaining-hook engaging said spring-support; a sleeve member pivoted to said hook; a push-rod pivoted to said pole-support and slidable in said sleeve member; a spring-actuated pawl secured upon said sleeve and adapted to engage ratchetteeth of said push-rod; and a governor, in position and adapted to throw said pawl into engagement with said push-rod.

7. In a safety-trolley base, the combination with a pivoted pole-forl ,of sustaining-springs attached to said fork; a slidable rod having a cross-piece supporting said springs; a retaining-hook and a cushioned stop for said spring-support; a spring to 'check the downward movement of said pole-fork; and meansA substantially as described for disengaging said retaining-hook.

8. In a swivel safety-trolley base, the combination with a pivoted pole-fork; of sustaining-springs engaging said fork; a slidable support for said sustaining-springs; a retaining-hook for said support; a vertical pinionshaft at the swivel-center of the trolley-base, in operative engagement with said support; a motor on said vertical shaft; and a governor-controlled disengaging device connecting said fork and said retaining-hook.

9. In a swivel safety-trolley base, the combination With a pivoted trolley-pole, of sustaining-springs connected with said pole; a slidable support for said springs; an adjustable elastic stop for said support; a retaining-hook for said support; a resisting-spring and limit-stop for the downward movement of said pole; a vertical motor-shaft at the swivel-center, for the retraction of said support; and a governor-controlled disengaging means for said retaining-hook.

l0. Iuasafety-trolley base,the combination with a spring-sustained trolley-pole, of a swivel-base; a swivel-plate; a ball-bearing between said base and said plate; a slidable spring-support; aretaining-hook forsaid support; and disengaging means for said hook, embodying a governor-carrying'member and a governor-gearing member slidable therewith; and means for the retraction of said support.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in presence of two subscribing witnesses, at Denver, Colorado, this 28th day of January, A. D. 1902.

ANDREW c. woLFE. [n 5.]

Witnesses:

GEO. D. NOBLE, L. S. MCKEE. 

